Former Milli Majlis deputy Etibar Aliyev voiced serious accusations on “MediaTürk TV”. He noted that for many years, those writing scientific works on political topics in Azerbaijan were unequivocally required to cite Ramiz Mehdiyev's books. E. Aliyev, stating that there were special instructions regarding this, also mentioned that there were instructions concerning Ali Hasanov's books.
Etibar Aliyev noted that even Sabir Mammadli, a professor at Baku State University who presents himself as a staunch Musavatist, cited the writings of Ramiz Mehdiyev and Ali Hasanov in his scientific work.
In fact, it is a very serious and thought-provoking topic for the scientific community. The former deputy had previously suggested to our website in an interview that scientific works citing Ramiz Mehdiyev and Ali Hasanov should be annulled.
So, what about Sabir Mammadli, does he accept the criticisms?
Modern.az contacted Sabir Mammadli regarding the issue.
In his statement to our website, he said that neither Ramiz Mehdiyev nor Ali Hasanov are of interest to him; he is interested in scientific facts:
“Ali Hasanov has numerous books related to foreign policy. Since 2005, he worked as a department head in the Presidential Administration. Despite Hasanov working during President Ilham Aliyev's tenure, his books contain factual information related to the years of Heydar Aliyev, Abulfaz Elchibey, and even Ayaz Mutallibov's rule. All factual information was in his hands, and he expressed it accurately. He illuminated all of Heydar Aliyev's foreign visits and relations with other countries. Neither Ali Hasanov, nor Sabir Mammadli, nor Etibar Aliyev, nor anyone else can escape facts. Regarding the facts, of course, I have cited them. This is a scientific work. Regarding Heydar Aliyev's visit, naturally, a citation was given. There is no problem, and I am not afraid of anything.
Excuse me, people like Etibar Aliyev do not know how to speak. I earned my Doctor of Philosophy degree in St. Petersburg at the age of 25 and returned to Azerbaijan with a red diploma. I know what science is better than anyone. I have cited specific facts related to Heydar Aliyev's visits to France and Germany. Regardless of whether one is a representative of YAP or an opposition party, a scholar is a scholar.
If a scholar's book is widely accepted by society, I see no problem here. Ali Hasanov's books contain a lot of factual material related to Azerbaijan's foreign policy and our period of independence. This includes issues such as Abulfaz Elchibey's visit to Helsinki, work related to the OSCE, our country's membership in the UN, and the establishment of the Minsk Group, which occurred in 1992. In this regard, extensive space with facts has been allocated to the activities of the government led by Abulfaz Elchibey.
Undoubtedly, whether Ali Hasanov or Sabir Mammadli writes it, this information consists of historical facts that cannot be overlooked. Any person can refer to and cite them.”
S. Mammadli emphasized that no one gave him instructions regarding citing Ramiz Mehdiyev and Ali Hasanov: “Specifically, no such suggestion or word was given to me; absolutely nothing of the sort happened. When analyzing scientific literature, the intricacies of each scientific work are touched upon. This is a direct intricacy of scientific work. If someone cannot do this, cannot accept it, and dismisses the works and books of scholars before them, I believe this is their scientific weakness.”
